Nice boat tom.....I was actually referring to the red gtx though

No problem.. I think we all were suprised how fast you were going...

i tried to sent pics , they got kicked back i'll try again later

The base to any of my posts are just to make sure folks don't get too fixed with their brand loyalty blinders when purchasing their next boat. There are lots of brands of boats with lots of plusses for different people, hence why I brought up the Donzi and the Powerquest. Neither of these are going to be 90mph boats even with 525EFIs.

I think the Cobalt 360 could be my Dad's next boat. Have they ever built one with 525EFIs? :D

exactly..... thats why people should keep an open mind when looking at the 343 it surprises alot of people (see post 42 above)
Remember the mind works like a parachute - better when its open

Dry weight given by every boat manufacturer is without fuel , oil in the engines and no water in the water tank . A boat this size can easily weigh an extra 2000 pounds loaded.The 343 as you can see in the picture has a very high X dimension , hence the decent numbers on this luxo boat .Can't see why a couple of 600's couldn't make it faster . No one knows here what the max hull speed really is with the 343 .
BTW , it is 10.200 with gasoline engines and 11.750 with Yanmar diesels !
Add your fuel , generator , water , keg of beer etc....., who knows what it will weigh ?

i called cobalt about the weight and they stated the weight was 11565 not 10200. i then weighed the trailer -got an empty weight- then weighed the boat plus the trailer and got a new weight - i subtracted out the weight for the trailer, amt of fuel on board and got the final weight of 11565 lbs for the boat itself there was no other weight on the boat at the time ... all the beer kegs had been removed
:D
ps this boat has the speed top which has to weigh at least 250 lbs and no generator/heat or a/c it also has 525's with xr drives

Why are you selling yours ? It seems they drop their value fast , due to be unknown for most . The ones with 525's and XR drives were selling in the 300's new two years ago , and there's one in the Seattle area for pretty cheap too .It's a win situation for the used boat buyer though IMO .

ive raced skaters for years (since 92) and am currently looking at either a 36 skater or a 38 doug wright ...once you go cat you never go back

Let me know...

Obviously you aren't looking for cuddy space going back to cats .
Don't know how much room is in a 36 Skater , but I know there isn't much in this 33 Eliminator one I'm working on .

http://www3.telus.net/spectrasonly/Eliminator%20Cat

my wife loves the cobalt and i must say i've gotten more compliments in the 3 mos i've had the cobalt then i've gotten with the all the skaters ... but you know how it goes :cool-smiley-011:

I can vouch for Steve's cobalt. I have seen it a couple of times in the rough and calm. It runs very well! Its very clean as well since he hasnt used it much and pretty much just bought it. Should be a great deal for someone!!

thanks dan :ernaehrung004:

hey pasquesi just wondering if you got any pics i sent? having issues with them getting kicked back for some reason .. also i cant pm you

Thanks, I did get the pictures! i love the speed top, and the all white. I will email you my phone so we can talk.

I have a friend, Rick Shadduck who is the test pilot for Cobalt boats. The 343 is a great boat, but with 525's it ain't gonna run 80. 75-76 is more realistic. The cabin is small & cramped for me. I'm 6'3, 225lbs.
I can't say for certian if Cobalt ever put 600's in a 343. I know there was talk of that last year, but I can't say for 100%.
There are several 343's I've been around my circles that have Mag HO's & they are 65 mph boats.
Cobalt makes a great boat. My buddy Charles has a 360 & a 22T. They are finished with great pride & the quality is top notch.
I would not want to be in really confused conditions in a 343. The cockpit is way too open & the seating is inadequate for keeping passengers secure. They are a great boat for the guy who wants a go-fast boat, but doesn't want to compromise floor space or stuff that makes the girls happy.
I think that there are other boats that do the same thing the 343 does, only better. The Baja 38 Special, 342 Baja & Formula 382 comes to mind. The fit & finish on the Baja is not near what the Cobalt is, although the Formula is pretty close to Cobalt.
Performance is going to be better on the Formulas or Bajas with same power.
In any case, it is going to be you that makes the final decision. You will know better than any of us what fits your personality.
Good luck on your decision.

We sold the 343 W/600s new that Ocean had last year as a trade The boat ran close to in not 80-1 Top end (Sounded Awsome!)

see post #34... all stats are dead on balls accurate! some boats are just faster than others.(production variation on engines can run nearly 10% of advertised hp) Cobalt is amazed that i'm on the rev limiters with the 28's and they have agreed to swap out for a new set of 30's remember 80 was achieved with borrowed un labbed 30's lab em and you'll pick up a little more. I know guys (Teague) that have picked up 5 mph switching from bravo 1's to herrings. will that happen with this boat? dont know till you try it. dont be so quick to judge
we're not in kansas anymore toto!

Something here makes no sense. How did 600's, run only close to 80MPH, yet the 525's in Dr. Steves boat are netting him 80+? You must have some hot 525's in your boat!

your welcome to fly out and i'll take you for a ride (weather permitting)
PS i said 80 not 80 + ...yet

blown income , do you remember what props and what rpm's the 600 boat was running?

Sportboats USA....Ozark, MO had(has) a 343 for sale close to three yrs now. Dont know if it is still there.

Lets do the math on the good Dr's boat.
Dry weight - 11565
5 grown-as$ men - 950lbs
propshaft hp - 500 (just to give the benefit of doubt)
Given that there is no fuel on board & no gear & being very gracious on the bottom design. BAM marine's speed calculator puts that boat at 69 mph given a 13k lb load
Even at 11500 the calculator only shows 74.
How about some GPS shots showing those speeds?

what prop slip are you figuring there sporto?

by the way 5x 250 =1250 not 950 525's have been known to put out up to 545 crankshaft hp +.. dont forget 200 gal of fuel

since you know brett from bblades talk to him about prop slip and the # i've run i tried a set of 5 blade maximus props but they were too heavy un labbed. in case you didnt know mr smith it's a little cold and snowy out here to run the boat and give you some gps shots ... WTF?

"great Spirits Have Always Experienced Violent Opposition From Mediocre Minds" -albert Einstein

Well Dr. I figured 8% slip for you. I was being generous. Come clean, your boat doesn't run 80 mph. You are not telling the truth & you've been called on it.
Now is where you get all huffy & defensive. You'll tell us that you will get photographic proof, but you will have some trouble getting the photos to upload. You'll tell us all about the friends that have seen the boat run 80, but they still won't have the proof. Next you'll tell us that your boat is special & has some super secret speed tricks done to it. The truth of the matter is you & so many others want to go fast. You exadgerate your speeds because it makes you feel better about yourself.
You have a nice boat. It is not an 80 mph boat. You are doing a perspective buyer a dis-service by telling them that it runs 80 mph.

WOW IT'S NICE TO KNOW YOU YOU CAN TELL THAT ALL THE WAY FROM KANSAS .. BY THE WAY HOW MANY NATIONAL OFFSHORE POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIPS HAVE YOU WON?
HOW MANY OFF SHORE RACES HAVE YOU PARTICIPATED IN?
I'VE RACED SINCE 1992 WITH EXCELLENT RESULTS
i THINK I KNOW A LITTLE MORE ABOUT PERFORMANCE BOATS THAN YOU DO MR 29' BAJA .. HAVING RUN OVER 115 MPH IN A RACE BOAT IM NOT GOING TO GET ALL EXCITED AND TAKE A PICTURE WHEN I RUN 80 IN A PLEASURE BOAT.
MAYBE YOU'VE KILLED TOO MANY BRAIN CELLS WITH YOUR "DUCT TAPE OF LIFE" I'VE GOT NO REASON TO POST INACCURATE STATS ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE OF A BOAT CHECK ALL OF MY OTHER POSTS THEYVE BEEN 100% ACCURATE ...I SUGEST YOU CHECK YOURSELF

BY THE WAY YOUR CALCULATIONS ARE OFF GO TO THE MERCURY PROP SLIP CALCULATOR DONT FORGET THE GEAR RATIO.:angry-smiley-038:

Right on Steve!! You dont need to convince a Baja owner about your cobalt or the number of laps you would run around it in one of your old Skaters!! Steve has alot of experience in setting up boats over many years. His knowledge is an asset to this site. Just cant wait to see what cat he has next year!!:D

Dr Steve, sorry to get the troops all riled up! I was just asking an obvious question about 525's running 80mph, when it has been published that they won't. For the record, I believe you! My Cobalt 23LS was all over the rev limiter with a set of F7 Volvo Duoprops, and Cobalt couldn't believe it. I just had a hot 502. So, they sent me a set of F8's, and all was better.

Anyway, I will be in touch. What do you pull the trailer and boat with, by the way?

1st a gmc duramax dually with a beefed up hitch... now i just bought a renegade motorhome on a freightliner columbia chassis that rated to tow 40 k

fyi.. off the mercury racing website propslip calculator a 30 pitch bravo 1 with a 1.5 gear ratio turning 5300 rpm's at 80 mph calculated out to 20% prop slip. Switching to a prop (ie : herring or one of the new upcoming cnc throttle up propellers) that drops the slip # will yield an even higher speed ... do the math ...

What is the gears 1:50 1:64 1:36 ?
my 42 fountain with 500 efi staggered can't run but 79
I think not DR.

Every 343 with 525's I've seen had 26" Bravo 1's on 1.5 drives.

check the website for owners manuals they used 26 pitch props in the first models /produced in 2004, then they switched to 28 pitch . seeing how i'm on the rev limiters with the 28's cobalt is changing them out for 30's (see prev posts)

satisfied 1, i don't understand your question. are you asking what's the gear ratio? if so it's 1.5:1

I would be pissed if I bucked up for the 600's and a stock 525 boat passed me up. Something ain't right.:confused: